Stories from My Life, #3: Lessons learned from inside Nittany 40 at Penn State

Photo courtesy of www.libraries.psu.edu

During my first year at Pennsylvania State University in 1963/64, I stayed in Nittany Halls, also known as Nittany Barracks. These structures (built after World War II to accommodate the influx of returning GIs) were spartan and small. Sometime after I left Nittany, rooms became “singles.” But while I was there, everyone had roommates. Here are five things I learned during my nine month’s stay at Nittany 40.

Lesson # 1: Nicknames can change your life, if only temporarily.

I have no memory of how it came to be, but soon after I arrived at Penn State, I became known as “Pablo,” and only by the people in my dormitory, and only for that school year. That name became so entrenched that, once, when my parents tried to reach me on the dormitory phone, they were told there was no one there by the name of Paul. I never had a nickname before Nittany 40, nor afterward.

Lesson #2: When you’re in a state of duress or under pressure, common sense can leave you.

As often happened, guys in the dorm would horse around. On one occasion, several chased this one fellow into his room and locked the door from the outside, using his own room key. This poor fellow then proceeded to bang on the door, saying things like “Let me out of here; I’ll get you guys for this.” This went on, I’d say, for a good 5-10 minutes when, suddenly, at a much lower volume, came another exclamation, “Oh.” He then unlocked the door from the inside (no key necessary) and walked out, much to his embarrassment.

Lesson: #3: There are people who are selfless and will always fight against injustice.

There are bullies now, and there were bullies then. I saw them in grade school, in high school, and again in Nittany 40. One day, one who must have targeted me as an easy mark, proceeded to deride my mother, saying nasty things about her.

A fellow dormitory student was there to witness this provocation. I knew him, but not so much that I would call him a friend. After the bully left, he told me that what the bully had done was wrong and—and to my astonishment—that he would go with me to take care of this problem. I remember declining his offer. To me, it made no sense to get into a fight from which I could easily walk away from. Plus, I was a small guy who wouldn’t have stood much of a chance. But, what he was suggesting was clear, that we would go and beat the crap out of this guy. To this day, I fondly remember his sincere offer–odd as it was–to seek retribution.

Lesson #4: I learned that, if necessary, I had the tenacity to stand up for myself and not back down.

My roommate was a “character” and, after reading this, you will no doubt conclude that I was one too. For a reason that escapes me now, my roommate did something to offend me, and it was necessary that I get back at him. So, I took something of his and hid it.

My roommate then proceeded to create a torture machine to get me to talk. I had the top bunk bed, and there was a bookshelf adjacent to my pillow. He took his desk light (you remember the old style, with a single bulb) and angled it so that it glared onto my head all night long. If I quietly turned it off, he just as quickly was on his feet to turn it back on. This went on for weeks, if not months. Somehow the situation eventually resolved itself, but I am still proud of how long I remained steadfast.

Lesson #5: It is possible to re-enter a dream after waking.

I tried to schedule early morning classes so that I could nap in the afternoon. I’d then stay up until one in the morning studying. One afternoon in the spring of 1964, I had a spectacular dream that I didn’t want to end. After waking, I decided to go back to sleep to try to continue the dream. I did and repeated this procedure several times, using up most of the afternoon to complete the dream. I’ve had other good dreams in my life, but never one as vivid and relentless as this one.

You’re wondering about the dream? Basically, I found myself in a chase movie, with me being the one hunted. I remember having to kill several of the bad guys in my attempts at escape.

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If you ever lived in Nittany Halls at Penn State, please drop me a line (tag@peoplepc.com) with your experiences.

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This post was written by paulmarktag